This Eshu statue was designed and constructed by the Yoruba People of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The process of stylizing and preserving the form of such objects requires a deep knowledge of craft as transmitted via oral tradition through centuries. The Eshu is a trickster God who functions as a protector and philanthropic spirit. Eshu serves Ifa, the chief diety within this belief system, and Eshu’s function is as a conduit between the physical and metaphysical worlds. Eshu demands perpetual attention so to carry out his purpose of rendering sacrifices and blessing future events. Interestingly, during the 17th and 18th centuries, this Yoruba tradition migrated via the slave trade from its African homeland to what is now the Republic of Haiti, and is practiced to the present day, both in Haiti and by the original Yoruba.

REFERENCES:

Chappel, T.J.H. 1974. “Who is that Fellow in the Many-Colored Cap? Transformations of Eshu in Old and New World Mythologies.” Africa.